Really, the only drawback of making apple butter in the crock pot is that you can only make small batches at a time. My crock pot will make approximately 4 pints of apple butter at one time. If that is all you are looking to make, then this method will be perfect for you.

As I stated above, one crock pot will make approximately 4 pints or 8 half-pints of apple butter. I didn't say how many apples to use because I didn't count or measure mine. I had a big box of apples and just started peeling.

All you have to do is fill the crock pot as full as you can with apples and still be able to get the lid on. I peeled and cored the apples and cut them into large chunks. Some people don't bother peeling the apples first.

Next add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. It is going to be really tempting to add some water to the apples, but don't. Just put the lid on it and walk away. It is easy to do this after dinner and let the crock pot simmer on low until the next morning.

The next morning, stir the apples. I used a potato masher to mash mine a bit. Stir in the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. I didn't measure the spices, but I put at least a tablespoon of cinnamon in, probably closer to two. Let the flavors blend a bit and taste it. Add more sugar or spices if necessary.

Let the apple butter cook down for another couple of hours. It should be really thick with no water in it. Stir it really well. If you would like a smoother consistency you can put it in the blender or use an immersion blender right in the crock pot. That is what I did and it worked great.

Taste it one more time to make sure you like the spices. It's not too late to add anything to it. You can now either cool the apple butter and pour it into freezer containers to put in the freezer or you can pour the hot apple butter into sterilized canning jars and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. I LOVE these freezer containers I got from Amazon. They are very inexpensive and last forever.

Note: I recommend this crock pot with the lid that latches on. It is very inexpensive and great for when you need to transport your crock pot and want to keep the lid latched in place.

Copyright 2014, Creative Homemaking, LLC. This article may not be reprinted.

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